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15 April 2008

BA Communications - intro

An important aspect to the role of the business analyst is communicating.

It’s a moot point that effective communication is critical to project success. That includes communication across the team, into the team from third parties and out from the team to stakeholders, the client, suppliers and others. Without effective communication things break down quickly.

If projects are engines of change, communication is the lubricant.So when we look at the role of the BA there are certain communications activities and, more importantly, outcomes that are required for their role to be effective, and if done well, optimised.

The clichéd line about the BA being a translator between IT and The Business is a clue to the importance of communication in the requirements management process.

While the translation task is not the defining attribute of the role it is a significant one, and it is significant enough to be its own Knowledge Area in the BABOK. Similarly Communications Management is a KA in the PMBOK.

I am participating in the practitioner review of the BABOK and before I dive into the content I wanted to frame my personal views on how BA communication activities should be managed.

It’s easier to review a document if you map out your expectations. That way you can identify gaps or differences in point of view at a strategic level, as well as simply identifying errors.And being a blogger, I am putting my ideas up here for you to read and possibly share your opinions on.